Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/05/2023

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Please let the records show the law firm Tanner law LLC was called on the 15th of December early in the morning to represent *********************************** at his arraignment. ******* claims they did not have enough time to meet with him before being fired on December 19th for not providing the services requested. My phone records will show that my daughter contacted them on the 15th for the arraignment that was scheduled for 16th they were fired for lack of providing services on the 19th of December. They had plenty of time to do the job they were hired to do! I request a full refund of my 2000.00 dollars paid to their firm, because they failed to provide services. Also it should be noted that no forms were filled out by my daughter, myself, or ************ to retain them as his attorney. They simply took my bank card information over the phone with my daughter. They did not even contact me to confirm my daughter even had permission to use my debit card! Recently I was told the attorney was sending me a refund check for 1400.00. He/She had charged 600.00 dollars for services ie (phone calls/emails). That is not why they were paid 2000.00 dollars. My daughter called this law firm to appear for the hearing so ************ would not be taken to jail for the bogus charges he was facing. They failed to appear, and now think it appropriate to keep money for not even providing services. I had to take out a personal loan through ****************** to bail out ************. Pay 2500.00 retainer fee for another attorney to represent ************. I am not even seeking damages for that or the loan that I now owe over 21,000.00 on. I am only seeking the 2000.00 dollars I paid because we never received any services for ************.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/08/2023

  My name is ***************************, I wanted to submit an update to my BBB complaint I submitted on the 5th of June, 2023.  The consultation was free but the charges listed here are all from the consultation. Tanner Law never had us sign an agreement for representation. They only took funds using a debt card over the phone. I *************************** never hired them as counsel, they were called about ************** by my daughter ******, I just provided my daughter my debit card. The law firm never contacted me about the use of my debit card. They just took the money but provided ABSOLUTELY NO services!!!! 
  

  
  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/17/2023

  Attorney ******* had a phone consultation with ********************* and ************************ daughter, ***** after making a frantic call to our office, being upset that ************** had been incarcerated and charged with simple assault and Endangering the Welfare of Children.  Thereafter,*********** and ******************** (****************** significant other) made had several additional phone calls with ****************** and they requested to retain his services on behalf of ************** who was incarcerated at the time.  On December 16, 2022, our office forwarded a representation agreement to ******************** (as ************** was incarcerated).  ******************** paid the $2,000 fee at 11:10AM on December 16.  ************** had a preliminary hearing scheduled for 7:51AM on December 16.  As ****************** was not retained that day until 11:10AM, he could not appear on ****************** behalf at 7:51AM.  The next hearing (the Preliminary Hearing) was not scheduled until December 27, 2022.   ****************** indicated to ******************** that prior to the December 27 hearing, he would meet with ************** in prison to prepare for the hearing and to obtain his signature on the representation agreement.  

  After paying the retainer at 11:10AM on December 16, at 12:50PM, ******************** sent photographs of the injuries on the alleged victim that ************** was accused of abusing.  Thereafter, ****************** began working on ****************** behalf, reviewing the PA code regarding the elements of the crime of which ************** was accused, speaking multiple times with ******************** and her daughter, conversations with the bail bondsman, etc.  During these conversations, ******************** began to believe that ****************** was not certain that ************** did not commit the crime of which he was accused and because of her belief, she terminated Attorney ********* services.  ************** was billed for the services that ****************** rendered from December 16, 2022 until the termination of his services.  

  Thereafter, ******************** disputed the charge for the retainer with her credit card company alleging that our office had taken funds and not rendered services.  Our office disputed this false narrative and the funds were returned to our office account.  Thereafter, ******************** made a second dispute with the same argument to the credit card company.  We again disputed the false narrative.  Once the matter had been closed with the credit card, on or about June 2, 2023, we refunded ******************** the portion of the retainer that was not used for services rendered.  

  ******************** has made several false statements in her report to the BBB.  For one, the consultation was not free.  She had a $100 consultation fee on December 15, 2022.  The services rendered were all after the consultation on December 15 and all after the retainer payment was made on December 16 at 11:10AM.  ******************** was insistent that we begin work on ****************** behalf immediately and was aware that because ************** was the client, he would need to sign the representation agreement and because he was incarcerated, ****************** would need to go to the prison to meet with him to both have him sign the representation agreement and to prepare for the preliminary hearing which was initially scheduled for December 27, 2022 and later continued until January 24, 2023.  ****************** began working on the case and her insistence immediately upon receiving the paid retainer and ******************** was the one emailing the pictures, clearly consenting to the legal services being provided.  She was provided with an invoice that detailed the services rendered prior to her contacting our office to terminate the representation.  She would not have called to terminate the services if she was unaware that our office was providing the services.  *** reason provided for the termination was ************************ belief that ****************** did not believe that ************** did not commit the crime for which he was accused.  As the retainer payment was not made until 11:10AM on December 16, ******************** is clearly aware that ****************** could not have represented him at a hearing that took place before she engaged our services.  ************** was charged a total of $513, not $600 for services rendered.  ******************** paid a $2,000 retainer, not a $2,500 retainer.  Our office has no knowledge of a $21,000 loan that she took out as our office only received a retainer payment of $2,000.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/24/2023

  [To assist us in bringing this matter to a close, you must give us a reason why you are rejecting the response. If no reason is received your complaint will be closed as Answered]
  
   Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: if you read in their own words they said my daughter contacted them on the 15th. They took my credit card information over the phone but did not pull it till the 16th. They were paid the retainer fee to appear at his arraignment hearing but did not appear. All the information they collected was provided by my daughter they did not do any foot work. The attorney never said there was a consultation fee involved when my daughter called. They are adding that in after the fact and are not entitled to that 100.00 dollar charge for the consultation. At best I said 100.00 dollars was fare for them to take from the 2000.00 dollar retainer fee. 
  
  Regards,
  
  ***************************